


The Tall, The Short and The Broody

by Fyahlord



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Adventure, Cowboy AU, F/F, Multi, Western, Wild West, outlaw carmilla
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-15 08:14:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3439973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fyahlord/pseuds/Fyahlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What does an outlaw, a sheriff’s daughter, a deputy, a snake oil sales person and a woman of god all have in common? Not much, but they’re stuck together so they might as well try and get along. <br/>Four different people have their lives changed when an outlaw comes crashing into their lives. Will it be the Wild West that kills them, or will it be each other?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so this idea just came to me and I had to write it down, and so i turned it into a fic, this is just the prologue hopefully you like it :)  
> um I will also keep on updating my other fic as well :)

Prologue

Springers County was a small town, if you could even call it that. It was nothing more than just a strip of land with about 14 buildings, 7 on each side of one single stretch of road. It was mainly used as a stop for weary travellers or a place for people to sell and buy supplies. It was quite a remote town, far away from any other major settlements or cities. Around it was desert as far as the human eye could see. However there were many homesteads and ranches surrounding the town in small pockets, who relied on Springers County for protection and economic reasons. Pete Hollis, better known as Sheriff Hollis or simply Sheriff, was in charge of protecting Springer and its surrounding homesteads from bandits and outlaws. It was a tough and unrewarding job. The town’s law enforcement was severely undermanned and lacking in much needed equipment, like guns and ammunition. The guns they did have were old and barely workable, meaning most bandits got away.  Pete Hollis was a determined man though, he worked hard at what he did and asked for little in return. Every day he and his two deputies would ride to each ranch, each home and each campsite, just to check up on the people staying there. Some days he would be greeted with an apple pie, a bottle of whiskey or some other gift thanking him for the work he did for the people. Other days he’d be greeted with smashed glass, stolen cattle and slaughtered families. It was always a flip of the coin in the Wild West.

And then a night time, he and the deputies would go house to house, making sure everyone had locked their doors and windows. The bandit problem was getting worse. You could hear them some nights, the sound of horses galloping in the distance, guns firing and men yelling. Raids were becoming more frequent. Last month alone they had lost four people and half their livestock. People were frightened and looked to their sheriff for protection. He feared for Springers County, his people were dying, but he mostly feared for his daughter Laura.

 

A real rough and tumble kind of girl was Laura Hollis. Most likely to be found out riding horses bare back, than inside cooking or sewing. A well liked girl, eager to offer help to others, much like her father. Could rustle a cow as good as any man and worked harder than most, she was a real cowgirl. Known for being a bit of an airhead, but with a good heart, Laura Hollis unknowingly held the hearts of many men and boys in the town. Her father was very protective of Laura from a young age, she was his little girl. But now she was a woman, eager to travel the country, for adventure and knowledge. Something he was not keen on her doing. But you can only hold onto some for so long, and he knew soon, he’d have to let her go.

 

Some people in the town however did not take to Laura’s wild and care free spirit. Lola Perry, the daughter of now deceased Reverend Perry, did not like Laura’s outlandish behaviour at all, blaming Laura’s father for not discipline the girl more so at a younger age. The Hollis’ were not a church going family so what more could she expect from a family like that. Since the death of her parents Lola kept mostly to herself, spending much of her days inside the town’s chapel. She took the Sunday mass alongside Father Patrick and helped form a women’s choir which had practice every Thursday and Saturday evening. Often a thorn in the Sheriffs side, Lola was not afraid to vocalize her distain towards the Sheriffs lack of success in stopping the number of bandit raids. She also had an extreme dislike towards Lafontaine, but as did most people in the town.

 

Lafontaine was a ‘travelling miracle worker and doctor’, or at least that’s what they said they were, in actual fact they were… well a fraud. A con artist by trade, Lafontaine was nothing more than a snake oil sales person. Peddling fake medicines and cures to Poor naïve people for high prices. A smile like a crocodile and a quick tongue, they were a bandit that worked within the law, devious and able to talk their way in and out of trouble. They were also shunned by most for other reasons, reasons that were considered ungodly and sinful. Often dressed in a grey suit with a bowler hat and suspenders, they were regularly mistaken for a man. They didn’t stay long in town, often only one night, disappearing the next morning with their two horse wagon, only to show up weeks later with a new a new miracle. Lola couldn’t stand them, and formed a petition to get them banned from the Springer County for their ‘unholy’ medicines and sinful lifestyle. Almost everyone in the town signed the petition, but Sheriff Hollis overruled saying that it was not a good enough reason to expel someone from the Springer. After that Lafontaine would purposely seek Lola out, just to toy with her.

 

Deputy Danny Lawrence was one of the few people that didn’t sign the petition. She wasn’t a very religious woman and kept mostly to herself so Lafontaine’s, ‘ungodly’ behaviour wasn’t really an issue with her. Another town outcast, being a woman working a man’s job didn’t make her too popular. Often the target of sexist comments and homophobic slurs, Danny Lawrence spent most of her time working outside the town’s boundaries, as too avoid the judgemental eye of the people. A good rider, and an even better shot, Danny could be a dangerous woman when she wanted to be. Though not well liked by the townsfolk, she still felt it was her duty to protect them and any innocent life she could. She and Laura were close, they grew up together, with Danny being 4 years older. They spent their spare time together, riding and rustling cattle. She would always be a little jealous that Laura was a better rider than her, maybe it was something to do with height. Her height however was an advantage for helping break up bar fights at the saloon. Which usually ended with her sporting a black eye for the rest of the week, but a sense of chest puffing accomplishment. Danny wasn’t a huge fan of Lafontaine, she didn’t like the way they tricked people out of money, but she did enjoy hearing their stories from travelling all over the West, even down to Mexico. Danny had spent her whole life in Springer County, and though she loved the town, she always felt trapped.

 

Some people crave adventure, others avoid it. Some people search for it, whilst others it finds. And whether they wanted it or not, adventure came to four people of Springers County. Adventure in form of an outlaw named Carmilla Karnstein. Intertwining their fates forever.


	2. Karnstein Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey begins, Laf and Laura met someone new, but is she to be trusted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot to add this in last time   
> because it is a wild west fanfic I will add potential triggers  
> TW: Violence, death, sex, drinking and swearing  
> also talks of religion, misgendering, homophobia, sexism  
> Possible TW (based on the setting): racism, sexaul assault, abuse, smoking   
> read at own risk  
> also I apologize for bad grammar haha

 

Stefan Karnstein is a name everyone knows in the West. Founder and former owner of Karnstein Guns and Ammunition and Co-owner of the biggest oil company in Texas. Possible the richest man in America at one point, practically owned the West. It wasn’t always that way however.

Stefan Karnstein, left Austria in 1871 with nothing more than the clothes on his back, and travelled to America. Barely 19, unable to speak any English and with no proper education, Stefan found himself lost in a sea of other immigrants, all working low waged jobs. One day he’d be hauling bales of hay, the next up his ankles shovelling cow shit. It was hard work, often not earning enough to rent a room. He relied mostly on the generosity of others, and when that failed he lived off the land. In time his English got better and he was able to get a steady job working for an old gun smith. The gun smith was an unpleasant man of Polish descent who had a very unpredictable temper, but he was an honest man and paid Stefan fairly.

When the gun smith died he left the business to Stefan, as a way to spite his ‘ungrateful children’. Stefan was more than grateful and was quickly making more money than he had in his whole life. By the age of 22 he had his own small business and three employees. He enjoyed tinkering with the guns, pulling them apart and putting them back together. In his tinkering he made a gun that relied on less pressure on the trigger making it easier to shoot. His new guns proved to be very popular and the business quickly grew. In 1875 Karnstein Guns and Ammunition was founded, and that same year he met his love, Sandra. They married that within a year, and she became pregnant with their first child, a boy, they named him Tobias. Life was good for the Karnsteins and they were blessed with two more children, Sasha and their youngest Mircalla. Of all the wealth and fortune he owned, Mircalla was the greatest treasure of them all. He didn’t like playing favourites, but Mircalla was the apple of his eye. A true child of the west, riding bare back by the age of 4, shooting guns by 5, she could tame any beast from horse to wolf (much to her parents distress). People would jokingly call her little Lynx, as she was often found wandering the wilderness at night. For all the time she spent outside her skin never tanned, remaining a soft pale white, her hair was as dark as midnight as were her eyes.

In 1886 a man named Thomas Williams came to Stefan with a business proposal. Thomas Williams’s owned a fair share of the rail company and went to Stefan to try and strike up a business together. His proposal involved acquiring a large sum of land to build a steel factory. Stefan was reluctant, he was earning enough money from his businesses and the land was also home to many farmers and natives, it wasn’t in his interest to take it from them. He politely declined the offer. Ten time Williams returned to Stefan with his offer and ten times he was rejected. But Williams was if anything a determined man, and an angry one. “One day Karnstein someone will knock you off your high horse, I promise you that, and you will lose everything you have worked for” he shouted the last time he was removed from Stefan’s office.

Stefan didn’t hear from Mr Williams again. And in 1889 Karnstein Estate burnt to the ground.

 No one knows the full story, only that the fire was no accident. Nine servants and two stable hands died in the fire. The bodies of Stefan, Sandra, Tobias and Sasha were found by police the next morning, charred beyond recognition. Mircalla was never found, but most believe she perished along with her family.

And two years later, Thomas Williams brought Karnstein Guns and Ammunition. 

 

* * *

 

 

They found her wandering the desert, just a few miles from town before the sun had even come up. Horseless, stumbling through the dirt, beaten up and obviously dehydrated. They knew who she was on first glance, the long dark brown duster coat and hat, plus the pale grey face bandana were dead give a ways. Outlaw.

She didn’t try to run, merely stopped walking when Sheriff Hollis and his two deputies approached. Danny being the over protective person she was, slammed the delirious woman to the ground, before Hollis could even give her the order. She didn’t struggle as Danny cuffed her and said nothing when the two deputies flung her on the back of a horse.

She passed out twice on the ride back to town, and threw up once down the back of Danny’s saddle, much to the tall woman’s displeasure. The lawmen didn’t stop however and continued to ride onwards, back to Springers County.

The town was wide awake by the time they arrived. It was a rare sight for the people of Springers County to see a successfully captured bandit, so many people flocked to the street as the sheriff and his posse rode in. The people cheered and clapped, patting each officer on the back as they hauled to barely conscious bandit off Danny’s horse. If they were lucky there would be a hanging tomorrow morning.

The sheriff’s office/jail was a small building, with only four rooms, with two being cells, that were almost always empty aside from the odd drunk. That’s where they threw her. “Danny” Sheriff Hollis said as he watched the unnamed bandit sprawled out on the floor of her cell  She had a head wound that was bleeding pretty heavily and had thrown up again, however this time it was mostly blood. “Go get Doctor Thompson”. As much as he hated bandits, he would not let one die a long painful death of dehydration and blood loss, besides the people wanted their justice, if she was to die it would be by the laws hand not natures.

 

 

Dr Thompson was unavailable, Mrs Dennis had just gone into Labour and the good doctor informed Danny he would be busy for quite a few hours. She tried to argue but was yelled at by a very angry soon to be mother. “Dammit” she hissed as Dr Thompson practically threw her out the door. With a heavy sigh she leaned back against the wall closing her eyes in frustration. “Couldn’t help but over here you’re looking for a doctor” Came a voice that Danny would recognise anywhere. “Not now Lafontaine” Danny grumbled, she was really not in the mood for their antics. “What Lawrence? I’ll have you know I’m a certified doctor” Lafontaine grinned, hooking their thumbs under their suspenders. “You got your doctors certificate from winning a chicken fight in China” Danny snapped, pushing past the smaller red head. “Oh yeah, good times” they smiled following the tall deputy “But I can still help”.

“Yeah and what would you want in return” Danny knew them too well.

“Danny you wound me” Lafontaine mocked, putting their hands to their heart

“There’s always a price with you Laf, so out with it”

“Okay okay, I’m going on a little venture soon, not for too long, just three or four days, to pick some…goods. Simple enough yes, but you see the journey there and back is often riddled with well undesirables and if they find out what I’m carrying I’m well…. Dead. So I need some, muscle to accompany on my journey.”

“And that’s where I come in?”

“And that’s where you come in”.

There was no way she would waste her time with this not when the people of Springers needed her. “I think you might want to look somewhere else for your ‘Muscle’”. Lafontaine shook their head, clearly disappointed.

“Hey guys” called Laura as she jogged towards them, she was visibly sweaty and covered in dirt from a long morning of rustling cattle “Everything okay?” She looked between her two friends who were both looking quite hostile. “Everything’s fine L, Danny here was just telling me that the bandit they brought in is probably going to die because no doctor is available to treat her” The said, trying to sound sad and sympathetic, whilst flashing a devious smirk at Danny over Laura’s head. “Oh god that’s awful, I mean I know she’s bad and everything but still, some one should help her” Laura said, and Danny knew exactly where the conversation was heading. “Wellllll, I could help” Lafontaine answered “But the dear deputy, isn’t too keen on my services”

“Hey that’s not what I said” Danny snapped and was about to explain the whole story to Laura, but was cut off.

“Danny I know you don’t like Bandits and with good reason, but you know letting Laf help is the right thing to do” Laura plead, making Danny want to go into the jail tend to the criminal herself, just to make Laura happy. “Fine, they can go patch up that lawless fiend” Danny huffed and lead both Laura and LaFontaine to the sheriff’s office.

 

 

“Daddy” Laura exclaimed upon entering the building and flew into her father’s arms. “Tough day workin?” he ask, tracing his finger across a small scrap on his daughter’s cheek. “Yeah, damn Jackson wasn’t watching where he was riding, his horse flicked a stick into my face, almost knocked me off” she described. “Danny I see you’re back, and you’ve brought the miracle worker” Sheriff Hollis sighed, making Lafontaine smile smugly and clap Danny on the back. “She sure did sir” they taunted, “Now let’s see our patient”.

“Ooooh” Lafontaine cringed as they ended the cell. The bandit was now lying on her back and was awake. “Ohhh indeed” she sputtered, flashing the group a bloody grin. One eyes was almost swollen shut she looked like she was about to throw up. Her hat had been removed revealing a head of dark hair that was mattered with blood and sweat. Her duster had also been removed along with her belt, guns and face mask. She was a sorry sight thought Laura as she watch the bandit’s head lull back to the floor. Lafontaine crouched down beside the bandit opening up their medical bag. “Don’t worry I’m here to make you better, well until they hang you tomorrow”

“Thanks….”

“Laura can you help me with her” Laf asked and Laura quickly joined them. “Laura” He father began to disagree but then paused as he watch his daughter tending to the broken bandit “…..Just be careful”. “I will dad” she sighed, not bothering to look at him as she began ripping some bandages. “Well I’ll leave you ladies to it” He said with a nod, making Lafontaine grimace “Come on Danny”

“But sir-“

“Come on girl we got work to do”

The two officers departed leaving the three on the ground. “Got yourself pretty beat up huh” Laf chuckled, as Laura sponged the woman’s bloodied head. “Yeah, but you should see the other guys” The bandit wheezed with a bitter laugh. “Oh I bet, open up” Lafontaine demanded and poured some water mixed with medicine down the bandit’s throat. “Ah fuck, that’s disgusting” she choked and Laura quickly cupped the back of her head as she began to cough. “It’s my own special remedy” Lafontaine explained. “It’s okay” Laura hushed as the bandit continued to cough. Lafontaine gave her an odd look making Laura shrug, she was use to tending to animals not people. “Got a name outlaw” Lafontaine asked, trying to distract the injured woman from the pain as they dabbed alcohol over one of her wounds. “Carmilla” she gritted out, biting her lip to stop herself from yelling or swearing at her two care takers. “Well I’m Lafontaine, and this is Laura”

“Um hello” Laura waved awkwardly, earning herself a puzzled look from Carmilla. “I must admit, I’m bit confused as to why you are helping me” Carmilla grunted as Laura wrapped her bandages a little too tight. “Yes it’s not because we want to help you, it because it’s the right thing to do” Laura said bluntly.

“Ah I see, and then what? save me so you can hang me tomorrow? I would have liked my chances in the desert better, at least I would have died at home”

She almost choked on the word home and Laura found it odd Carmilla referred to the desert as her home. “Yeah well I’m helping you, cos I made a deal with the deputy, she’s providing me with her services if I ensure you make it through the night” Lafontaine confessed, completely forgetting Laura was in the room. “You what!” snapped Laura “I should have known, you’ve roped poor Danny into one of your insane get rich quick schemes haven’t you”. Carmilla watched in silence as the two argued above her ‘I’m going to die tomorrow and this is how I’m spending my last hours….. Great…’.

“If Danny is going then I’m coming too, Lord knows what trouble you two will get into” Laura huffed angrily, pressing her wash cloth too hard against Carmilla’s wound who hissed loudly. “I know you’re mad but damn woman be gentle” Carmilla snapped, but Laura ignored her.

“Yeah because your father will let you come” Lafontaine replied sarcastically, yanking at Carmilla’s bandage. “Seriously” Carmilla moaned “you won’t need to worry about tomorrow this argument will kill me”.

“Shut up” Laura warned the outlaw “My dad won’t find out, if we don’t tell him”.

“Hmm I guess it would be good to have an extra pair of hands” Laf mused, “Okay fine, we leave tomorrow morning”.

“Aw you’ll miss the show” Carmilla muttered sarcastically. Her head was starting to spin again and the room was getting a bit blurry.

“Where are we going?” Laura asked, giving Carmilla some more water, practically shovelling it into the bandit’s mouth. She was more focussed on Lafontaine now.

“We’re heading to The Old Burnt Housel”

“The Old Burnt House isn’t that place haunted?”

“Haunted really? You read too many ghost stories” Lafontaine laughed, shaking their head and Laura glared. She didn’t like being made fun of.

“It is haunted” piped in Carmilla. Laf and Laura’s eyes both snapped to the bandit, one pair wide with curiosity, the other narrowed and skeptical. “Not you too, you’ve been out in the desert too long, mi amigo”

“It is haunted, it has its ghosts, as all places do” Carmilla continued ignoring Lafontaine’s comment “I know it well, they say the man who owned the house buried his fortune under it and it’s never been found even to this day”.

“Wait, you’re going to go and look for Stefan Karnstein’s fortune? And you say I read too many stories. Its just an old legend, there’s no pot of gold or treasure buried under that old house and if there was someone would have found it by now”

“L it’s real, I know it”

“Yeah but you’ll never find it” Carmilla replied. “Oh yeah and why is that” Lafontaine challenged, they didn’t like the smugness in the bandit’s voice. “Because to get there you’ll have to go through Lone man’s Pass and who uses the pass for hideouts?”

“Bandits” answered Laura, glaring at Carmilla, Springers County had lost a lot of cattle and people to Lone man’s Pass. The fact that Carmilla spoke about the pass as if she too once occupied the bandit camps there, made Laura’s blood boil.

“Give the kid a dollar” Carmilla mocked and Laura again squeezed her bandage “Ow, lucky for you I know another way to get there”.

“How?” Lafontaine asked eagerly. “Well I could tell you, but you know what I don’t think I will”. Carmilla had seen her chance, her chance of freedom, all she needed to do was plant the bait, and wait to see which one took it first. It Lafontaine who cracked first. “I’ll do anything” They pleaded, “Just please tell me”.

“You like making deals don’t you con-artist? Well let’s make a deal, tomorrow morning before my execution you spring me from this cell and I’ll personally take you there myself”.

“What!? No you can’t do that” Laura yelled, as Lafontaine looked like they were considering the offer. “If you get caught they’ll hang you too, is it really worth that”.

“Why, would you turn me in?”

“What? No I wouldn’t do that” Laura was shocked they’d even think that. “How do we know we can even trust her?”

“I dunno, umm a gut feeling”

“Great, so we’re basing a chances of not being murdered by some crazy outlaw on a gut feeling”

“Aren’t you tired Laura, tired of having your life controlled by your father, cos I’m tired, I know what this town thinks of me, but image coming back to town with Stefan Karnstein’s fortune, we’d be heroes, we’d be rich, we could do anything we wanted”.

“Danny will never go for it, she’ll tell my father right away”

“Then we won’t invite her”

.........

“Okay” Laura said after much internal debating.

“So do we have a deal” Purred Carmilla.


End file.
